Abbie Herbert is a first-time mom to her beautiful daughter, Poppy, who is nearly 6 months old.
In her video — which has over 17 million views — Abbie explains, "Poot loves to breastfeed, but she's very particular about what side she likes. So, she's right side. I said, 'Girl right side is yours; you stay on the right — you love it. It is yours.'"
"...Well someone forgot to remind me what could happen if you only let your baby feed on one boob. This is hard as a rock...it's not an implant — it's my boob."
After asking others on the platform if this was normal or if her boob would ever deflate, it was apparent that what Abbie was experiencing was pretty common.
MANY BREASTFED BABIES DO HAVE A FAVORITE BOOB!
A quick TikTok search will also pull up many other moms sharing their experience with this same problem. So, BuzzFeed spoke to Abbie to learn more about her experience. Abbie said that right away she could tell Poppy liked nursing from her right breast more than the left. "She was getting a full feed on the right and kept moving around while on the left side. She was more comfortable and relaxed while holding her on the right," she said.
BuzzFeed also spoke to expert Dr. Mary Jane Minkin — a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine — to get more insight into this issue (one that many breastfeeding moms like Abbie are experiencing).
Dr. Minkin confirmed that many babies do prefer to nurse from one breast over the other and that while you can feed a baby from one boob only, it isn't recommended because you may experience and pain and swelling as Abbie did.
To sum up how breastfeeding works: The more a baby suckles and stimulates the nipple, the more a hormone called prolactin is produced. Prolactin causes more milk to be produced, which is obviously what is happening to Abbie's right boob since her left isn't getting as much sucking action!
Minkin said she thinks the best solution for Abbie's dilemma is to continue trying to pump her left breast to see if she can get the milk production back up. She can then feed the milk to Poppy from a bottle if she will take it. That being said, each person is unique and should always consult their doctor on what is best for their particular situation.
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At the end of the day, Abbie said that she is just grateful she is able to breastfeed Poppy. "No matter what my breasts' size looks like, I’m just happy I’ve had an easy experience with breastfeeding. And — no matter how you feed your baby — a fed baby is best, and that’s all that matters!"
And now, if you ever decide to breastfeed, you'll know that you need to always stimulate BOTH BOOBS to prevent this from happening to you!!!
